This Sunday, a Rookie, James Davison started in 28th in a teal and black race car, and indeed, succeeded in adding light to the memory of those it sought to remember. Not only did he manage to move up 12 positions over the course of the race, but James was also very close to a Top 10 finish.

Last November, Roger Rodas was killed instantly along with Celebrity – and more importantly, fellow car enthusiast – Paul Walker, when the Porsche Carrera GT Roger was driving lost control and crashed. We’d heard how much they were looking forward to the 2014 Race Season with Always Evolving – and Roger was integral to the team. The Always Evolving Team was founded by the late Roger Rodas, and both Roger and Paul were passionate car enthusiasts, men who loved cars to their core – and so it was only natural that they’d collaborate and help turn AE into what it is today.

Long before finding fame, Paul Walker loved cars – modifying and racing them long before ever finding fame, and Rodas had done well racing Porsches in several race series. Rodas and Walker helped build the Always Evolving Racing Team and had been huge friends to the car community, regularly hosting meets at their location to share their love for cars with fellow enthusiasts.

The tragedy of the loss hit the Team hard, but knowing Rodas and Walker, as racers, they’d have wanted the team to keep racing and get the cars on track. Indeed, the best way to honor the memory of our friends is to carry on as they would have wanted. Recognizing its new purpose, Always Evolving established “Racing in Honor” as their internal mission for the 2014 season in his memory.

“Always Evolving and ModBargains have established a close relationship (personally and professionally) over the past few years, so the loss of Roger Rodas and Paul Walker hit the ModBargains team especially close to home”, said ModBargains CEO and co-founder Mike Brown. “Furthering the mission started by these two great racers, Always Evolving continues ‘Racing In Honor’ in the memory of the friends we lost, and with that said, we are proud to be a part of that mission.”

So, bearing that in mind, “Racing In Honor” has special meaning to us. It’s about paying tribute to the memory of our friends the way they’d want to be remembered.

Which brings us back to the Brickyard today. The #33 Always Evolving Indycar driven by Rookie driver James Davison now sports the “ModBargains” logo proudly displayed on the lower quarter of the rear spoiler endplate and makes an excellent compliment to the car’s dynamic Always Evolving livery.

Davison started out with his work cut out for him in 28th overall, but swiftly maneuvered his way towards the front of the pack, finishing the race in 16th place, having passed half of the field. For those unfamiliar with the sport, realistically, for a Rookie effort on a smaller team, it is a staggering accomplishment. Not just finishing the race but kicking butt for the duration and claiming position after position is truly something. James Davison has truly honored the memory of Roger Rodas and Paul Walker with an outstanding performance.

Here are just a few photos of driver and racecar from this Sunday’s festivities.